General dental practitioners’ knowledge and attitudes on children’s pain and pain management—A questionnaire survey

Larisa Krekmanova; Stefan Nilsson; Magnus Hakeberg; Gunilla Klingberg; Agneta Robertson

doi:10.1002/pne2.12052

Paediatric & Neonatal Pain (Jun 2021)

General dental practitioners’ knowledge and attitudes on children’s pain and pain management—A questionnaire survey

Larisa Krekmanova,
Stefan Nilsson,
Magnus Hakeberg,
Gunilla Klingberg,
Agneta Robertson

Affiliations

Larisa Krekmanova: Department of Pediatric Dentistry Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
Stefan Nilsson: Institute of Health and Care Sciences, and University of Gothenburg Centre for Person‐Centred Care, at the Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
Magnus Hakeberg: Department of Behavioural and Community Dentistry Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
Gunilla Klingberg: Department of Pediatric Dentistry Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
Agneta Robertson: Department of Pediatric Dentistry Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pne2.12052
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 2
pp. 87 – 97

Abstract

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Abstract The aim was to study general dental practitioners’ knowledge and attitudes on pain and pain management in children and adolescents, using a multidimensional questionnaire. There is little information on dentists’ views on pain in children. The research question was how attitudes and knowledge may correlate to the dentists’ age, sex, years of professional experience, the proportion of working time devoted to treating children and adolescents, as well as being a parent. At the time of the study, 387 general dentists working for the Public Dental Service participated in a web‐based, multidimensional validated questionnaire holding the categories (A) views on the care of children in pain, (B) physiology, (C) pain alleviation, (D) medication, (E) sociology/psychology, (F) Pain assessment instruments and methods, (G) non‐medication methods of pain alleviation, and (H) documentation of pain management. The age categories were given as; below 25, 25‐35, 36‐45, 46‐55 years, and older than 55 years of age. 71% of the responders were female. The dentists’ age cohort, as well as the years of professional experience, tended to make a difference as to the pain interventions in children and adolescents (P < 0.03). The female dentists, in comparison to the male dentists, conveyed different pain treatment strategies (P < 0.03). The proportion of working time devoted to treating children and adolescents, as well as being a parent, did not show significant differences regarding pain strategies. Associations were observed between the age of the dentists studied, the number of years as professionals and the knowledge and attitudes that benefit children's pain treatment. Being a parent was not significant. In this studied group, female dentists displayed significantly more care regarding pain management, than did their male colleagues. Furthermore, the study highlighted the need for a short questionnaire, user‐friendly yet with retained multidimensionality.

Published in Paediatric & Neonatal Pain

ISSN: 2637-3807 (Online)
Publisher: Wiley
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Pediatrics
Website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26373807

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Abstract

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